Kherson

Kherson
Херсон

Flag

Coat of arms
Kherson

Location of Kherson

Coordinates: 46°38′0″N 32°35′0″E / 46.63333°N 32.58333°ECoordinates: 46°38′0″N 32°35′0″E / 46.63333°N 32.58333°E
Country
Oblast
Municipality
City Rayons
 Ukraine
 Kherson Oblast
Kherson City
Dneprovski rayon
Suvorovski rayon
Komsomolski rayon
Founded 18 June 1778
Government
  Mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko (Batkivshchyna)[1]
Area
  Total 135.7 km2 (52.4 sq mi)
Population (2007)
  Total 358,000
  Density 2,600/km2 (6,800/sq mi)
Postal code 73000
Area code(s) +380 552
Website www.city.kherson.ua

Kherson (Ukrainian: Херсо́н; Russian: Херсо́н) is a city in southern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kherson Oblast (province), and is designated as its own separate raion (district) within the oblast. Kherson is an important port on the Black Sea and Dnieper River, and the home of a major ship-building industry. Estimated population as of 2007 was 329,000.

History

Until 1774, the region belonged to the Crimean Khanate.

Kherson was founded in 1778 by Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin, on the orders of Catherine the Great. The city was built under the supervision of General Ivan Gannibal on the site of a small fortress called Aleksanderschanz. The name Kherson is a contraction of Chersonesos, an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2500 years ago in the southwestern part of Crimea. One of the first buildings in the Kherson Fort was the Church of St. Catherine where Potemkin was eventually buried. The last tarpan was caught near Kherson in 1866.

During World War II, Kherson was occupied by the German Army from 21 August 1941 to 13 March 1944.

Demographics

As of Ukrainian National Census (2001), the ethnic groups living within Kherson are:

The ethnic groups living within Kherson as of the 1926 Census:

Population

Year Population
1790 24,000
1926 58,000
1939 97,000
1959 158,000
1981 361,000
2004 354,000
2007 329,000

Administrative divisions

There are three city raions. Two of them still carry mark of a colonial city of Russia.

Climate

Climate data for Kherson
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.0
(59)
18.6
(65.5)
22.1
(71.8)
28.0
(82.4)
37.7
(99.9)
39.5
(103.1)
40.5
(104.9)
40.7
(105.3)
33.3
(91.9)
32.0
(89.6)
21.8
(71.2)
16.5
(61.7)
40.7
(105.3)
Average high °C (°F) 1.4
(34.5)
2.2
(36)
7.7
(45.9)
15.7
(60.3)
22.3
(72.1)
26.4
(79.5)
29.3
(84.7)
28.9
(84)
22.8
(73)
15.6
(60.1)
7.8
(46)
2.8
(37)
15.3
(59.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −1.7
(28.9)
−1.3
(29.7)
3.2
(37.8)
10.1
(50.2)
16.1
(61)
20.4
(68.7)
22.9
(73.2)
22.3
(72.1)
16.7
(62.1)
10.4
(50.7)
4.1
(39.4)
−0.2
(31.6)
10.3
(50.5)
Average low °C (°F) −4.5
(23.9)
−4.5
(23.9)
−0.5
(31.1)
5.0
(41)
10.1
(50.2)
14.6
(58.3)
16.8
(62.2)
16.0
(60.8)
11.3
(52.3)
5.9
(42.6)
1.0
(33.8)
−2.8
(27)
5.7
(42.3)
Record low °C (°F) −26.3
(−15.3)
−24.4
(−11.9)
−20.2
(−4.4)
−7.9
(17.8)
−1.5
(29.3)
5.8
(42.4)
9.2
(48.6)
6.6
(43.9)
−5.0
(23)
−7.6
(18.3)
−16.2
(2.8)
−22.2
(−8)
−26.3
(−15.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 29
(1.14)
30
(1.18)
29
(1.14)
32
(1.26)
39
(1.54)
52
(2.05)
44
(1.73)
35
(1.38)
42
(1.65)
32
(1.26)
38
(1.5)
33
(1.3)
435
(17.13)
Avg. precipitation days 8 7 9 12 11 11 9 6 9 9 11 10 112
Source: Pogoda.ru.net[2]

Transport

Kherson Railway Station

Air

Kherson is served by Kherson International Airport providing both passport and customs control. It operates a 2,500 x 42-meter concrete runway, accommodating Boeing 737, Airbus 319/320 aircraft, and helicopters of all series.

The official airport website is http://www.airport.kherson.ua and additional info can be found at http://www.aisukraine.net. The tel no is +380 552 33-71-87.

Rail

Kherson has railroad connections to Kiev and Lviv.

Education

Main sights

Kherson Town hall, now city art museum 
Kherson Musical school 
Dormition Cathedral 
St. Aleksandra Church 
Kherson Fortess 
Potemkin monument 

Notable people

Twin cities

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kherson.
Look up kherson in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.